The five-day holiday weekend from Thanksgiving Day through Cyber Monday saw an estimated 197.0 million shoppers, reportedly the second highest number in the NRF’s survey’s history after last year’s record of 200.4 million shoppers—exceeding its initial forecast of 183.4 million.
Category: Footwear
Thermore Appoints VP of Global Marketing and Communications
Laura Beachy has been appointed VP of global marketing and communications. She joins Thermore from Hyla Strategies, a NYC-based boutique marketing firm, where she served as a managing partner since 2014.
Academy Sports + Outdoors Opens Five New Stores to Finish Out 2024
New stores opened in Bradenton, FL; Yulee, FL; Searcy, AR; Meridian, MS; and Corsicana, TX. Overall, Academy continued its expansion in 2024 by opening 16 new stores during the year across ten states, including its first locations in Ohio.
EXEC: Nike to Wind Down Digital Sneaker Design and NFT Company RTFKT in January
RTFKT has also announced its plan to wind down operations by January 2025 on X (fka Twitter), noting it would release one final collection, Blade Drop.
Ortholite Cirql Launches Industrially Compostable, Biodegradable Material for Footwear Brands
Cirql Zero debuts at ISPO Munich as the midsole in a concept shoe called the “Disappearing Shoe,” designed and developed by the Cirql team. Cirql Zero will be available to footwear brands beginning in January 2025
Amer Sports Launches Public Share Offering of 34M Shares
The company said it intends to use the net proceeds it receives from the proposed offering to repay a portion of its outstanding borrowings under its term loan facilities.
Mastercard SpendingPulse: Black Friday Sales Grow 3.4 Percent; E-Commerce Up 15 Percent
The firm reported that their data indicated online retail (e-commerce) sales increased 14.6 percent, while In-store (brick & mortar) sales were up a more modest 0.7 percent, compared to Black Friday last year.
Collegiate Licensing Pioneer Bill Battle Passes
Battle helped the University of Alabama create a licensing department, which led to his founding of the Collegiate Licensing Company (CLC) and what became a multi-billion dollar industry for collegiate licensing.
EXEC: JD Sports Completes Acquisition of Largest Sneaker Retailer in France
The company has completed its acquisition of Groupe Courir S.A.S. following receipt of conditional clearance from the European Commission on October 22, 2024 and the satisfaction of all other outstanding conditions.
Report: Black Friday In-Store Shopper Traffic Falls 8.2 Percent Year-over-Year
The brand’s ShopperTrak Analytics insights show that U.S. shopper visits were down 3.9 percent from November 24 through November 29, in line with the in-store traffic trends seen year-to-date (down 3.0 percent year-over-year).
Reports: Black Friday Online Shopping Breaks Records as Brick & Mortar Traffic Wanes
At first glance, it appears that Black Friday weekend did not materialize as hoped or expected this year as e-commerce came out the clear winner for Black Friday and brick & mortar sales suffered for the official start of the Christmas holiday shopping season.
Puma’s Inconic 1968 Silhouette Goes Patchwork
Nicole McLaughlin worked in collaboration with Puma to remake and restitch a version of Puma’s Iconic 1968 silhouette in suede using a patchwork concept, using 14 percent deadstock materials and 57 percent manufacturing leftovers on the uppers.
Rally House Opens New Storefront in Minneapolis
Rally House Maple Grove Crossing opened on November 27. The retailer entered the Minnesota market this year with its first store in Tamarack Village in Woodbury. Today, it operates five stores in the state.
Cole Haan Inks China Partner for Retail and Brand Development
The company has inked an exclusive distribution agreement with China retail HiMaxx. In conjunction, HiMaxx is launching a new premium branded division, focused on Cole Haan, under Co-Founder and Board member Jason Hou.
Urban Outfitters Shares Jump on Strength of “Resilient” Consumer
Comparable retail segment net sales increased 5.8 percent at Anthropologie and 5.3 percent at Free People. Comps decreased 8.9 percent at Urban Outfitters. Nuuly segment net sales increased by 48.4 percent.
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